A new rising
by Shade000
Summary: When the charter is lost and the Abhorsen dead, the only one who can do anything is a little Dog and a small boy. Chapter Four edited
1. Prologue

Prologue 

The Charter had been dead for years. Few knew of the magic that flowed within the stones that were scattered about the Old Kingdom. The Abhorsen's descendents were long gone and no one knew who the latest one was. Of course a lot of people had moved to Ancelstierre, where the art of magic was not allowed. The few people who did know about the Charter and still lived in the old kingdom didn't want to talk about it as I brought back hideous memories of what happened to the Abhorsen all those years ago. This was mainly the reason people didn't practise the charter, and why only feared necromancers walked in death nowadays. Apart form one. There was one who was constantly in death, always walking the long river, saving people from their final fate and stopping them from crossing the ninth gate.

This one is know simply as Dog. No one knew who this thing was, but it was said that it was once the companion of the last Abhosen, Lirael. The last time anyone reported of seeing the dog was at least 50 years ago when a man was brought back to life with serious injuries. This was also the day when the horrid Orranis was bound anew by Lirael herself. The Dog helped in the biding and then simply disappeared. Lirael spent the best portion of two years searching death for the Dog but never actually found her. Many people said that Lireal had a child with a Nicholas Sayre who was reported dead at the time the Charter was forgotten. The Dog was forever trapped in death and could never escape the fate she sealed long ago.

The seven bells that the Abhorsen used were gone with the disappearance of Lireal and never found again. They are most likely in the house of the Abhorsen in the Old Kingdom. The nine bells that control the dead; Ranna the sleepbringer, Mosrael the waker, Kibeth the walker, Dyrim the speaker, Belgaer the thinker, Saranth the binder and Astarael the sorrowful. Named after seven of the nine great shiners who were the most powerful being that ever existed, the seven made the charter, one chose not to be part of the charter and one chose to oppose it.

10 years have passed since the last Abhorsen was seen and 50 years since the feared monster Orrannis was sealed away by Lirael. The charter was lost ever since Lirael had died and the world is in ruins.


	2. Chapter 1: A world anew

His face scanned over the pieces of the scattered Earth. His face displayed no fear but all he could do was sigh. He was a boy, that's all he was. Or so he thought. He was about fourteen years old and stood on the edge of a great sight. It was in this place that Lirael bound Orrannis anew all those years ago. It had been kept as it was since then, all the ground around the place was still empty as it was the day he was defeated. There was nothing to see for miles and all that was of attraction was a slight dip in the middle where it was said that Lirael bound Orrannis.

"Nick!" came a yell from inside the dip "come over here!"

Nick walked over to the edge of the dip and looked in. It was his best friend, Sam, who was apparently, named after his father. Although it may have been another person trying to connect their family to royalty. He was bent down, apparently looking at something on the ground.

"Check this out!" he said as Nick approached. Nick saw that it was a small piece of metal.

"Be careful" murmured Nick. "Could be something dangerous"

"Why? Because this was where the mighty Abhorsen destroyed some creature fifty years ago? No Nick, I think we're safe"

"Just be careful"

"Ok, ok" He picked up the metal and examined it. It was an odd bluish colour which looked like it had been induced over time and was free from rust completely. As he was twirling it over in his hand, the fragment started to glow lightly. After a while Sam dropped it to the floor once more. "Well that was a waste" he said. "Come on; let's see what else is around this place."

Sam was ignoring him. He looked at the piece once more. Something in his mind had registered. He wasn't sure why, but he knew, somewhere in his mind, what this was. He bent over and picked it up and turned it over in his hands for a couple of moments. It had started glowing once again and let off a strange heat. It felt like a cold heat, so to speak. It was certainly warm, but it didn't give him the comfort that heat gave people. It sent a chill down his spine and made him step back and try to drop the fragment. But it didn't fall. It held onto his hand as if it was held on by glue and as he was about to shout out to his friend, a chill overcame him. A chill that was somewhat familiar yet odd. He closed his eyes and a second later he felt a tug at his legs. He opened his eyes and saw a river beneath his feet. The pull was overwhelming for him and a second later he fell, moving towards a crash of water.

Towards death.


	3. Chapter 2: Their first meeting

Nick sped up towards the crash of water that had over come him a couple of moments ago. He was metres away from it when a hand grabbed him from behind him, clutching onto his shit so he won't free himself. He caught a glimpse of what had held him; it was an ugly creature with flesh hanging from its skin in places. It bent towards Nick and looked him in the eyes. Meat never fell into its hands so willingly now days. Not after the charter had disbanded. But even without the charter there was still death. There would always be death. As Nick looked into its eyes he smelt an overly rotten smell of decaying flesh. As he was pondering this another smell met his nose, it smelt like... wet dog?

The creature must have smelt it as well because as soon as Nick smelt it, the thing released him and looked around the blank expense. It looked nervous, scared almost. As it was looking around, bubbles formed beneath its feet. The thing didn't seem to like this, it struggled against it. The bubbles overtook him and soon enough, Nick could see none of the creature beyond the bubbles. Soon enough water started spraying up and then, as quickly as it started, it finished. The bubbles came down and the water resumed it gentle flow. Nick struggled against the current but it was too much for him and he, once again, slipped into the current.

If Nick had been paying attention, he would have noticed that the smell that shook the creature before had returned, even stronger than before and if he was really paying attention he would have noticed that tide around him had slowed a bit. As Nick grew closer to the waterfall that he could now see, he started to notice the ebb in the tide. He had stopped struggling against the tide and was now hoping that the tide would stop altogether before he fell over the side of the waterfall. As he grew closer to the fall he heard an echoing bark fall over the sound of the waterfall. The tide stopped with such a force that as it released his grip, he was already going too fast to stop himself from falling.

Falling over the now dry waterfall.


	4. Chapter 3: Nick and the Dog

Nick fell, his hands wildly flailing for the edges of the pool so that he could keep himself up before he went too far down. He heard another bark from behind him and felt his body lighten immensely. Soon enough he was floating lightly upwards at a pleasant pace, before hitting the ground. Hard. He landed right in front of the dog that was standing next to him and panting slightly.

'Wh-what are you?' He asked. 'And why am I talking to a dog?' he groaned.

'Because.' The Dog said. 'I am here and there is no one else to talk to.'

Nick groaned again. 'Great, now I'm imagining things'

'No, not quite. You see, I am the Disreputable Dog. I am the one who helped Lirael all those years ago. I am part of Kibeth, the walker.' Answered the Dog.

'Erm, ok then. Nice to meet you.' Said Nick.

'Likewise. Usually when I start talking, people up and run away from me, even if it's further into death.' The Dog sighed.

'Err, what?' Asked Nick.

'We're in death. But, you must know that, how else could one so young be here? We haven't had a child in here for years now.' But Nick wasn't listening

'We're in death?' he asked. 'Like the Abhorsen?'

'Yes very much so. What do you know about the Abhorsen, err…?'

'Nick.' This seemed to disturb the Dog.

'Nick? I once knew someone called Nick; he came through here a couple of years ago, dead.'

'I am sorry to hear that.'

'No, it is _I _who should be sorry, you see, he was your father.'

'What? No, that can't be true; my father is, well, alive. And his name is Daniel, not Nick, that's _my_ name.'

'No, it is true. He and Lirael conceived a child. Soon after the creature in the case incident. That child was you. I have been watching life for years now, ever since I was stuck here after Orannis was bound. If only I hadn't been pre-occupied then maybe Lirael would still be alive and the Old Kingdom wouldn't be in the state it's in now.'

'What were you doing when Lirael, my Mum, came though?' There was something about this Dog that inspired confidence, or fear, in him. It made him believe what the Dog was saying and filled him with something he hadn't felt in a while, hope.

'I was battling a stronger figure of death. He was breaking through to life, don't worry. She added after seeing the look on Nick's face. 'I stopped him, but I didn't have time to stop Lirael. The other Abhorsens couldn't get to her either.'

'What about my dad?' Asked Nick. 'Were you battling a greater being of death then as well?'

'No, it was his time. Everyone and everything has a time to die, you just have to accept it and die willingly.'

'Oh, I see.' Nick said in a small voice.

'Ever since then I've been stopping people who may be related to the Abhorsen and seeing whether they could pick up the profession. As I told you earlier, it hasn't proven to much avail, they all run. Anyway, enough of me, if you didn't know this was death then how did you get here?' Asked the Dog. Nick told her about finding the small bit of metal, it glowing then he feeling a frosty feeling and being transported here and about the creature of death that almost got him.

'And that's when I met you' he finished. By the end the Dog was white. Not naturally, of course, but with fear. 'What's wrong?' asked Nick

'It seems that something that we all thought was bound was never bound properly in the first place.'


	5. Chapter 4: Foreshadowing

'No' said the Dog. 'No, it's not possible. I was there; I died to save Lirael and the rest. How can he be back? It doesn't make sense.'

Nick stood and watched the Dog. She was pacing backwards and forwards, her tail between her legs. Suddenly she rounded on him.

'Are you sure you didn't enter death on your own? Are you sure it was the metal that took you through?'

'Yes, I've never been in death before in my life. And as soon as I touched the metal, I felt cold and a second later I was here, in death.' The dog groaned at these words. She turned back towards the waterfall. She didn't understand. Why would this happen? She thought back to the time when Lirael had come through. The creatures that day seemed to be unusually organised, but at the time the Dog didn't notice.

The roar of the gate ceased and both the Dog and Nick looked towards it. Coming out from it was at least ten creatures of Free Magic.

'What is that taste?' Nick screamed at the flavour of Free Magic hit him. 'It tastes like burning metal'

'It's the Free Magic beings' The Dog yelled, running back to life. 'They are coming, let us go!' The Dog turned and sprinted back to the boundary of life. Nick took a look back at the approaching creatures. They were orderly, and marched rather than ran. The stood in a line and turned back towards the gate where another row were forming and marching at the same speed as the first row had. Nick didn't need to see any more. He turned towards where the Dog had gone to and ran. The river was lapping at him but he took no notice, he sped towards the point he had entered, how he knew where that was was amazing seeing as everything looked the same. He slowed to a halt and looked around for the Dog. She was a few paces away and growling at the oncoming fleet.

'What….. Are….. They?' Nick asked out of breath.

'I told you!' Barked the Dog. 'They are Free Magic beings'

'What… exactly… does… that… mean?' Nick asked

'There is no time to explain, quickly, back to your world. I will try to fend off these creatures but just in case, run away from your entry point.'

'Oh, no there are far too many of them for you' Nick said and he stepped towards life but put a hand under the Dog's collar. 'You're coming with me'

'I can't, I'm dead.' Said the Dog simply, not taking her eyes off the creatures ahead. By this point there were at least fifty creatures, all slowly marching towards the little Dog and Nick. The Dog stiffened its neck and its eyes widened in fear.

'I don't care' said Nick. 'You are coming with me!' Nick took a firmer hand on the collar around the Dog's neck and pulled it into the heat that was life. Nick fell to the ground and smashed his leg against a nearby rock and the Dog landed on top of him. Nick tried to push the Dog off but she was still rigid.

'What's wrong?' Nick asked from beneath the Dog's body.

The Dog looked at him, eyes still wide and breathes coming fast. She didn't seem to notice she was back in life; in fact she seemed to be unaware of anything. Nick shook her lightly and, after while, the Dog seemed to come to her senses. She still was shaking lightly and her eyes were still wide, but she seemed to get out a couple of words.

'The...Bells. Why? Why... did... it... have... the... bells?' Then it fell silent, into a deep slumber.


End file.
